Eskimos achieve new heights for veteran fullback Calvin McCarty

For nine years, the Grey Cup has been just a dream for Calvin McCarty. At times, it seemed like an impossible dream, like when the Edmonton Eskimos went 4-14 only two years ago, but the 31-year-old veteran fullback was living it on Sunday night. “To be able to get over that hump, it probably won’t hit me until we land in Winnipeg," McCarty said about finally getting to play in the Canadian Football League's championship game.

For nine years, the Grey Cup has been just a dream for Calvin McCarty.

At times, it seemed like an impossible dream, like when the Edmonton Eskimos went 4-14 only two years ago, but the 31-year-old veteran fullback was living it on Sunday night.

“To be able to get over that hump, it probably won’t hit me until we land in Winnipeg,” McCarty said about finally getting to play in the Canadian Football League’s championship game.

Quarterback Mike Reilly said the Eskimos played a perfect game for three-quarters of Sunday’s West Division final at Commonwealth Stadium to defeat the Calgary Stampeders 45-31.

“We wanted to set the tone early and get our crowd into the football game and we did,” said Reilly, well aware of his team’s tendency to start slow and scramble back in the fourth quarter. “Everybody pitched in and that was kind of the theme of the night for three quarters. For one quarter, we kind of turned it all off. Luckily, we played enough in the first three that it didn’t matter.”

Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly says the team did some growing up over the past year.Greg Southam /
Edmonton Journal

Off the start, Edmonton’s defence forced the Stampeders to punt the ball after two plays on the opening series, special teams recovered a fumbled punt return by former Eskimos kick-returner Skye Dawson at the Calgary 23, and the offence opened the scoring with Reilly’s one-yard touchdown plunge on a third-down gamble.

For the game, Reilly ran for two touchdowns and passed for 370 yards plus three TDs — one to each of his star receivers, Adarius Bowman (15 yards), Kenny Stafford (33 yards) and Derel Walker (57 yards) — while completing 31 of 39 passes to built a 30-point lead.

“When you’re down 30 after the first play of the fourth quarter, pretty much every person in the country thinks that game is over and for them to catch a touchdown with two minutes left in the game — it didn’t stick, but had it sticked they’d be down one touchdown with a chance to kick an onsider with a chance to get the ball somehow,” Reilly said about the Stampeders. “Credit to them to continue to fight.

“We held on. We did enough. But I’d like us to not really give up so much in the fourth quarter next time.”

Credit former NFL coach Bill Parcells for the Eskimos’ early aggressiveness, scoring their first touchdown on a third-down gamble, successfully going for the two-point convert and also running two fake field goals on the same drive in the second quarter.

“He said don’t leave any bullets (in your gun),” Edmonton head coach Chris Jones said about his conversation with Parcells last week. “He said go in there and win the football game and don’t wait until later in the game or wait to do something. Early in the game is just as good an opportunity as any.”

The Stampeders didn’t show the Eskimos any respect last year and it came back to haunt them Sunday.

“I still remember pictures of them hanging around Jones’ motorcycle and all that stuff and not really thinking that we were a viable threat to play against,” recalled Reilly. “For good reason. Last year, they beat us four times and every game the year before, too. I think it was 12 games in a row.

“They had reason to be cocky and to jump in front of our coach’s motorcycle for a picture in the newspaper. We needed to do some growing up. I’m glad they did that stuff, because without that, I don’t know if we would have grown up, but we have now.”

When the West Division trophy was presented to the Eskimos after the game, it sat on a table for a couple of minutes before defensive end Odell Willis and Bowman picked it up and started celebrating.

“To be honest, it was the last game we were playing in our stadium this season, so it was nice because the fans stuck around,” said Reilly. “To have something for them to celebrate here in our own place was fun to share with them.”

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